No matter the art, whether itap painting, writing or cooking, itap a rare thing indeed when someone’s vision can be translated almost seamlessly into a viable reality. But when you step into Heretik, chef Theo Adley’s new restaurant in RiNo, you’ll see a near-perfect execution of what he described six months ago, long before it opened.
The open kitchen is vibrant while diners toast loudly, crack crab legs and gobble down deviled eggs with tuna tartare. Tracks from bands like The Vaselines and Beat Happening add to the cheerful freneticism.
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“Nothing has been compromised,” said Adley. “Itap almost the same menu, and I wrote this menu last fall.”
The offerings are ostensibly a tribute to the Côte d’Argent region of southwestern France, but Heretik’s menu reads much more like a reflection of Adley’s distinct culinary vision and approach. Itap a highly personal celebration of both French and Spanish cooking that nicely incorporates techniques he’s learned at some of the state’s most lauded eateries, including The Flagstaff House in Boulder, The Little Nell in Aspen, The Squeaky Bean, and The Populist in Denver.
Coupled with the music, the bites have a sense of rebellion, but this isn’t outright middle finger food. Adley and his team make great tasting plates first and foremost, but some of the items, like the unmissable chicken wings stuffed with boudin blanc and romesco, act as a cheeky affront to haute cuisine’s pretensions and conventions.
But for a restaurant that serves plenty of dishes seemingly designed for white tablecloths, there’s still an awful lot of eating done with your hands. The Dungeness crab claw cocktail has all the tactile joy of a seafood boil. The accompanying brown butter vinaigrette complements the meat almost like a savory toffee. The oysters du jour with chipolata sausage and lemon are equally visceral.
Most everything is built for sharing but there are a few ways to anchor the meal with something grand. The Plateau Heretik comes with oysters, razor clams, lobster, prawns and purple uni, and is available in either a half size for $78 or the true pièce de résistance for $150. The rotisserie poulet rouge, Adley’s “death row meal,” also comes in two sizes, and is complete with pommes allumettes, house sauce, dijonasiss and sauce verte.
The wine list is short and sweet, highlighting bottles exclusively from Spain and France. “Everything goes with everything,” said Adley. “There’s not the tyranny of dropping a wine book.”
Heretik is true to its name. It invites you in with promises of civility. The foie gras, Santa Barbara uni and Cantabrian anchovies are all classic pillars of elegance. But when you leave, fingers greasy, top untucked, head spinning, there’s no denying the mania of the meal. You never lose the sense of refinement, but you might have lost a sense of yourself.
Adley is a big presence in the restaurant. He can be seen acting as maitre d’, busser and line cook. He’s also the central conductor for a deliberate dance that takes place in what amounts to little more than a broom closet-sized kitchen. As for his other restaurant, Marigold, the chef says he’s only been up there a few times in the past couple of months. Though after three years of being open, the spot can essentially run itself. “I’m not missed,” he laughed. “They know more than I do.”
While Heretik’s menu will be a bit more static, Marigold will continue to push menus that are refined and redeveloped on the fly. Even so, Adley says the two are sister restaurants. “They’re both conversations in the same kind of experiment. They’re definitely informed by each other.”
